Pianist Carmen Staaf drummer Alison Miller will headline the festival's Elon Jazz Day Concert on Saturday, Feb. 22, and lead masterclasses.
Elon University’s annual Jazz Festival on Thursday, Feb. 20 to Saturday, Feb. 22 wil feature concerts by renowned musicians, along with clinics and masterclasses for Elon students and area middle and high schools.
Headlining performers this year are pianist and composer Carmen Staaf and drummer and composer Allison Miller. The festival begins Thursday, Feb. 20, with an open rehearsal. On Friday, Feb. 21, Miller and Staaf will host a masterclass alongside clinics for invited musicians and host an open jam session with Elon students at the Oak House. Saturday, Feb. 22, is Elon Jazz Day, and will culminate in a 7:30 p.m. concert by Staaf, Miller and Elon’s Jazz ensembles in McCrary Theatre.
A full schedule is available on the festival’s webpage.
“We are thrilled to welcome guest artists Allison Miller and Carmen Staaf for this year’s Elon Jazz Festival,” said Alex Heitlinger, host and director of jazz studies. “Both Miller and Staaf are leading voices in 21st-century jazz, and their expertise and distinctive perspectives will provide incredible learning experiences for our students. We are also excited that our Saturday evening concert will exclusively feature music by women composers.”
Carmen Staaf is a pianist, composer and the current Musical Director for National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater. She has performed with legendary musicians at venues worldwide. Staaf studied at Tufts and the New England Conservatory before joining the faculty of Berklee College of Music. Later, she studied at the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.
Alison Miller is an award-winning drummer, composer and member of the bands Artemis and Boom Tic Boom. Miller is a three-time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department and currently teaches at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.